Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Can We Make Commercial Aquaponics Work?

No Question - Aquaponics is the Future of Food!
Key issue -  Before aquaponics can take its place as a viable alternative to bland, empty corporate food, it must be able to secure substantive funding.  How do we get the investment needed to make this happen?   The Agribiz folks won't do it.  Why should they?  This goes against their "better living through chemistry .." model of massive fertilizer and pesticide application.  Why? Because they sell fertilizer and pesticides ... duhhhh!   It just ain't down their alley.  We have few successful examples of profitable aquaponics.  One reason is because of the boutique nature of the business at present.

Most aquaponic farms are demonstration and training facilities run by talented tinkerers, or a social entrepreneur.  Also, many farms exit on subsidies, grants, and/or are being deficit funded by the owner.  Aquaponics funding at the professional investor level is critical to solving the commercial business model.

Amy Crawford an Aquaponics Farmer from Northern California speaking at the 8th Annual Engineering Conference on Aquaculture,  Amy made the following address.   This highlights just how important professional funding is to the future success of this most promising technology.

An Interesting Challenge for Aquaponics
The majority of funding, of course, comes from the “industrial” corporations at the university research centers. Think CAFO … ie confined animal feeding operations… feed lots (cattle, hog, chicken, etc) that can maximize profits on the ...
Publish Date: 08/29/2010 18:14
http://theaquaponicsource.com/aquaponicgardeningblog/2010/08/29/an-interesting-challenge-for-aquaponics/


What our community needs is a well funded Aquaponics driven business model.
  •  A dedicated, investor funded, stock corporation with a significant profit motive in addition to a social purpose.  
  • ... a professional management team with modern process manufacturing and agricultural engineering abilities.  
  • Aquaponics also needs to be optimized as a healthy, food production and distribution model!
A National Business Model and Roll Out Plan
The Family Fish Farm Network has an evolved, well thought out business model.  We can all participate.  Let's put our knowledge and experience together.  It is the only way we can overcome the combined interests of Agribiz and not permit this technology to be turned to no good purpose.  Join us here and help work towards a common goal. Go to our website: www.thefamilyfishfarmsnetwork.com and join our team.  Then sign-in link is  at the bottom of the site.  

As Peter Drucker, the father of American management once said, "... if you want to control the future, help participate in its design."